


A Curious Game

by artloife4142



Series: An Honest Gambit [1]
Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Canon Divergent from ch.71, Dark Moon Arc, Deviates From Canon, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25213642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artloife4142/pseuds/artloife4142
Summary: "Don't think I don't know what you're doing.""I've no idea what you mean, Mogami-san."Canon-divergent one-shot from the last page of Act 71. For Days 3&4 of KyokoRen Week 2018. Prompts are Propriety/Boldness.
Relationships: Mogami Kyoko/Tsuruga Ren
Series: An Honest Gambit [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1826698
Comments: 1
Kudos: 37





	A Curious Game

“Tsuruga-san’s Katsuki-”

“I can do it.”

“I’m so glad!”

Kyoko and Ren shared a relieved smile, before she turned her attention back to the boiling pot on the stove. Ren watched her as he leaned against his kitchen counter, enjoying the feeling of sweet domesticity that swept over him and made his breath catch in his throat. She was humming softly as she worked, all signs of her previous agitation long gone.

On the one hand, Ren was glad that she was that comfortable in his presence. But as a hot-blooded young man (or so LME’s President had called him on occasion), he did wish for...well, any sign that she was as affected by him as he was by her. In all fairness, he at least acknowledged that he was attracted to others. Kyoko didn’t so much. With the exception of one...idiotic boy, Ren had no idea what she liked or what attracted her.

His contented mood disappeared as his mind turned to Fuwa Sho. How could she have possibly liked such a jackass? They said young love was dumb, and blind, but having witnessed the fallout himself, Ren couldn't help the concerns he had over that relationship.

Ren, since he'd remembered what he had about his days in Kyoto when he was younger, had begun to think that Kyoko must have been pretty isolated as a kid. Who else would return to a riverside in a forest day after day, just because they’d found a friend there? Most kids would have forgotten a couple times, at least. But they’d not missed seeing each other for even a single day back then. Ren could understand now that it must have been because the both of them had been desperately lonely.

His thoughts drifted back to the present when Kyoko smiled at him and held out a couple bowls filled with food.

“Dinner is served, Tsuruga-san!”

He smiled back at her and they settled in to eat how they had the day before, in his living room while they watched TV. His curiosity about her, and about how her issues conflated with her trouble with Fuwa and his betrayal, didn't leave him alone all throughout dinner. How much had those issues actually affected her own perception of simple things like romance and attraction? Was that part of the Fuwa problem? Or was it something simpler?

These thoughts bothered him, and bothered him, until they grated on his nerves. His mind kept going back to the moment where she’d been in his arms, despite the mantra of _leave it alone, leave it alone_ he was forcing himself to focus on. It was beyond aggravating.

But she’d never even been kissed! She was sixteen for God’s sake. How had she never been kissed? He groaned softly as he dried a dish while they stood at his sink, cleaning up after they'd eaten.

“Tsu-Tsuruga-san? Is everything ok? There’s not that many dishes left, if you want to go rest up, I can finish this.”

“Oh, this is no trouble. Actually, I was just remembering a silly reaction of yours from earlier, when you fell and I had to catch you. It distracted me,” he sent her one of his best smiles, and had to smother a snort at her affronted face.

“But of course I'd react differently than what you're used to,” she countered gracefully, “You were acting so strangely, and being so forward. That type of behavior is inappropriate you know.”

“I’m surprised to hear you say that Mogami-san. You’re a teenager in high school. Wouldn't it be more likely for you to have seen couples behave like that, rather than in a more mature and reserved manner? Or do you think it’s inappropriate for couples to show affection or attraction to each other?”

Kyoko’s face flushed and Ren suddenly realized that maybe he should have stopped while he was ahead.

“Of course I don’t! If people like each other, that kind of thing is fine! You’re twisting my words! Katsuki just shouldn’t have acted like that with Mizuki; it was inappropriate!”

“Ah, but they do like each other. They are attracted to each other.”

“You're deliberately being difficult now. They’re supposed to be more reserved is the point!”

Ren bit his tongue on his first response. This was going nowhere. Clearly, a different strategy would be required.

“Sure, that’s true. But your reaction shouldn’t have been what Mizuki did either. It was overdone, even melodramatic one could say. It was like you’d never even experienced attraction or something,” he baited her.

Kyoko was beautiful when she was riled up, he observed, as she hurled her sponge into the sink and turned to face him directly.

“You’ve no idea what she’d do! You’ve never been a teenage girl around a man she likes, or, or is attracted to! You’ve no idea how that makes us feel,” Kyoko’s breath huffed out of her in a clear sign of exasperation.

Ren sat down the silverware he’d been drying, and tossed the towel onto the counter in an effort to keep his focus on the point he was trying to make.

“Fine then. You’re a teenage girl. Fuwa approaches you, what do you do?” He raised an eyebrow when she just gaped at him. She sputtered for a second, before she snapped back.

“That’s got nothing to do with this!”

“Doesn’t it? Didn’t you like him? Weren’t you attracted?”

“The point is,” she hissed, “That if he even dared to try it now, I’d spit on him if he did! That playboy!”

Ren studied her for a second as her fists curled and uncurled as she tried to gather her composure.

“Alright, fine. You’re in school and someone approaches you. They say you’re pretty, or that they’re attracted to you. What do you do?”

“Frankly, I’d wonder if they had eyes,” Kyoko replied matter-of-factly. Ren groaned a little and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He turned to face her fully, “Mogami-san, I assure you, I have eyes. You're pretty.”

She let out a small scoff, and looked away back to the dishes in the sink, then said, “We're not playing Mizuki and Katsuki anymore, you don't have to waste such sweet words on me.”

Ren’s sharp eyes caught her white-knuckled grip on the cup she was rinsing, and it clattered onto the countertop when she set it down. His lips curled slightly, but he quashed the satisfaction that flared within him as he noticed her departure from her typical meticulous care. Instead, he affected a more light-hearted tone of voice.

“I'm well aware that we're not currently playing those silly roles. That's not how true, real-life attraction and romance works in any case.”

He paused as he noticed she had stopped rinsing her dish. Aggravatingly, he found he couldn't pull his eyes away from her prettily manicured fingernails for a long moment. He loudly cleared his throat as he watched soap suds drip down her hands, and forced himself to look away.

“In reality, no teacher worth their salt would ever seriously consider a romantic relationship with a teenager,” Ren said, unable to stop himself from glancing at her again from the corner of his eye. She stayed silent though, so he continued.

“Isn't that the truth, Mogami-san? And even without taking into consideration the practicalities, what teenager could genuinely appeal to someone so much older than them? Makes no sense, right?”

She had a ferocious scowl on her face as she stared down at the little pile of dishes in the sink. Her voice was tart when she replied, “I didn't expect you to be so close-minded Tsuruga-san, just yesterday you said-”

She stopped abruptly, and tightly pressed her lips together. Ren prodded her some more; he couldn’t even stop himself at this point.

“What's that Mogami-san? You don't agree? Now that's surprising. You of all people, you who’s cursed such things before, you don't agree?” Something in his tone of voice must have indicated that he wasn't being sincere in his questioning, because she shot him a nasty glare.

“Tsuruga-san, as the both of us are aware that you're just poking fun at me, at least do me the respect of not being two-faced.”

Oh, this was too good. She could dismiss the topic however much she liked, but she clearly cared enough about it to get riled up over his questioning. Ren perhaps should have held back some, and been a little nicer, but this was way more entertaining of a reaction than he'd ever anticipated. “Mogami-san, how did you jump to that conclusion?”

She huffed, shooting him an incredulous look. “If teenagers don't appeal to those older than them, then it’s ridiculous for you to say I'm pretty and actually mean it.”

“Mogami-san, I wasn't talking about _us._ Katsuki and Mizuki are unrealistic. I wasn't commenting on us.”

Ren bit his tongue so the amusement he felt didn't betray him, when she just stared at him, speechless. He must not have been successful in hiding that, because after a moment, her eyes narrowed.

“Don't think I don't know what you're doing.”

He raised an eyebrow, showing blank surprise as best he could.

“I've no idea what you mean, Mogami-san. I was talking of Mizuki and Katsuki, and highlighting the fact that we’re different from them. With such a comparison, surely my honesty in complimenting you is apparent.”

“You’re trying to fluster me. You think what happened earlier when I fell was funny, and you want to provoke a similar reaction,” Kyoko said, her tone of voice teetering on the precipice of true fury.

Ren wasn't going to have that; not if he could help it. “That would be cruelly calculating on my part. Do you truly believe I'm capable of such a thing?”

There was a loaded silence.

“If there’s one thing I can always trust myself to believe, it’s that men will always use women to boost their own egos,” she said curtly, turning to face him as she wiped her hands dry on her skirt.

The silence between them turned icy, as Ren did his best to bite back furious words and Kyoko stared him down, daring him to object.

Ren cracked first. He rolled his shoulders, trying to shrug away his anger, but that didn't really help. The fierce look on Kyoko’s face made it feel like all of his pent-up frustration might crush him under its weight, if he didn’t respond to such a bold accusation. He stepped closer to her, not able to help himself.

“My ego? You think this is about my ego?” He asked her softly.

Kyoko stepped back, and the first signs of unease crossed her features. Before she could scurry away, he placed his hand on the counter next to her, and leaned in. She threw him a dirty look as she realized she couldn't duck away from him, crowded as she was against the counter now. 

“If this was about my ego, I wouldn’t have brought up how Katsuki and Mizuki were different. My proof, Mogami-san,” he drawled her name, mocking her typical politeness, and she flinched.

“My proof that this isn’t about my ego, is that you betrayed how you felt when you let that cup clatter onto the counter.”

Kyoko stiffened, and tried to pull away again, but Ren just crowded in closer, “It surprised you that I said something like that, and you tried to brush it off. But it excited you too.”

“That’s your ego talking!” She snapped back. Ren smirked.

“Liar.”

She went to protest again, but Ren talked over her, “You know, I would have just let it go if not for that little tell of yours. Most girls are at least used to being complimented, and brushing it off if it comes from someone that’s just a co-worker, or a senpai. And I would have just let it happen too.”

He paused, letting the implication fully sink in. A deep blush crawled across her face, and Ren watched with keen interest as she looked everywhere but at him. He wondered again what could possibly appeal to her, what she could possibly find attractive in another. Even as he thought this, he realized just how much his temper had gotten away from him, and shame washed over him.

Kyoko stared back up at him in surprise as he stepped back away from her.

“I'm so sorry. That was… I mean, well. I'm really sorry for being such an ass just now,” Ren said softly.

“I...I apologize as well, Tsuruga-san. I shouldn't have overreacted,” Kyoko replied, her voice halting and unsure. Ren winced.

“No, you were right to. Even though I knew you were inexperienced with this, I still acted like a jackass.”

She was well within her rights to take him to task for his behavior-he deserved it in fact, but instead there was another long silence. Ren dared to glance back at her, and saw her clutching at her skirt hem, her fists curled tight as she scowled at the floor.

“Inexperienced? Well _excuuuuse me_ for having other priorities,” she muttered darkly.

It was such an honest reaction, Ren couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped him. She transferred her scowl to him, and he held up his hands in an apologetic fashion.

“No really, I’m very sorry. Even when I tell you you’re pretty, and mean it, you’ve every right to handle that as you like. I shouldn’t judge.”

She blinked at him, her scowl disappearing, then wetted her lips nervously.

“Tsuruga-san, I promise, I don't need silly words like that. I know I'm not attractive.”

“Mogami-san, I dare you, in fact, I double dare you, to prove to me that you’re right and I’m wrong.” Clearly she wasn't going to take him at his word that he thought she was pretty.

“Tsuruga-san!!” she screeched, “That’s! That’s improper! No senpai should-!”

He stared at her, unimpressed as she floundered about, and his fingers tapped a staccato beat on the counter as he waited her out. When she just stood there, sputtering, he shook his head, “You know, that does make more sense. Even when you’re at the age you are, when you prioritize other things, of course a discussion like this would make you uncomfortable. It might even be scary. That’s alright too, you know.”

Oh that made her angry. Ren's lips curled as he saw her eyes sparking with her temper. Her anger was better than her being uncomfortable. He’d take that over her discomfort any day.

“You want to prove to me that I'm wrong?” She pulled her school shirt up, stopping at her midriff. She pointed at her hip, then snarled, “I dare you Tsuruga-san. Touch my hip. Wrap your fingers around my hip, and prove it.”

Ren's jaw dropped in shock, blindsided that she’d called his bluff. He pushed aside his rather telling reaction, and his eyes narrowed in thought. He had a feeling she wasn't nearly as unaffected as she was trying to appear. He stepped closer and when she took a half step back, he sighed, and shook his head.

“You _are_ scared.”

“No I'm not!” Her voice rose in pitch, and Kyoko hastily cleared her throat, and then put her nose in the air.

“I'm proving you wrong is all; I'm not attractive. This silly nonsense is just that, silly and-”

Honestly, there was only so much self control he had left, and that was a _very dainty_ and attractive hip bone. Before she could rush off screaming about impropriety, he reached out and grabbed hold of her left arm, pulled her close, and wrapped his fingers tight around her right hip bone. He hadn't expected it, except he had, and sure enough, she squeaked when his fingertips dug into that fleshy part of her.

“What did you want this to accomplish Mogami-san? Really? The hip bone of all spots? When it’s such a… _tender_ and delicate part of you?” Ren asked softly, his thumb digging in a little harder. He lost his last shred of dignity and good sense when his thumb slipped beneath the waistband of her school skirt. He inhaled sharply through his nose when he realized his thumb rested right on the waistband of the undergarments she was wearing beneath it.

They were both surprised at the sound that came out of Kyoko's mouth then. She let out a soft exhalation from deep in her throat, and Ren’s gaze snapped to hers, a shocked breath leaving him. They both froze, this dare having gone incredibly further than either had anticipated.

“I believe I’ve proved my point,” Ren said with remarkable aplomb, in his opinion. That his voice shook a little bit meant nothing. Nothing. They blinked at each other dumbly, and Ren had no idea why she wasn’t shoving him away yet, and scolding him about inappropriate behavior.

Kyoko swallowed, her voice raspy as she spoke, “Nothing’s been proven, other than that I might be a little ticklish there.”

Was she seriously just going to stand there and pretend this wasn't affecting her like it was him? Ren felt another swell of frustration wash over him about this, but didn't dare say anything to bring it to her attention. He instead reinforced his earlier point.

“I didn't say that you were pretty because I wanted your reaction to boost my own ego. And I didn’t say it to fluster you. I was highlighting that your overreaction from earlier might be a little off base, and wanted to use your own reaction to a sincere compliment as an example. So it’s because you’re inexperienced. So what? There's nothing wrong with that!”

She glared at him as she shifted some, and Ren realized abruptly that whatever kind of undergarments she was wearing, they were incredibly silky. _Damn it, damn it, damn it,_ he began to chant to himself as he cursed the ludicrous situation they’d put themselves in. The fleeting thought that they were playing a curious game of chicken ran through his mind, and he released an aggravated hiss of breath.

Then she shifted again, and his fingers reflexively tightened on her hip bone and she made the sound again. A fierce want surged through him, and he ached to replace the thumb currently digging into her hip with his lips and tongue, so he could suck a mark into her skin. _What sound would she make? Would she squirm? Would she bruise easily enough that she'd be reminded of it every time the waistband of her skirt would brush against it?_ He pressed his tongue hard to the back of his teeth, his pulse pounding in his ears.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it,_ this mantra swirled about in his head as soft, warm skin trembled beneath his touch. Ren didn't even notice the reflexive squeeze of his hand on her wrist when he noticed Kyoko was staring down at his hand on her hip, mesmerized. He pressed just a smidgen harder, and she squirmed.

His ironclad self-control nearly broke right then. Instead, with great effort, Ren peeled his fingers off of her, one by one, and stepped back. This had gotten entirely too out of hand. It was time to reassess, and think up an escape plan. Damn it, he was behaving precisely like the people he'd warned her against. He took another step back, inhaling deeply to get his brain to start working again.

“Clearly, we aren’t going to leave here in agreement. Shall we shelve this discussion and reopen it at a later time?”

Ren thought his question was reasonable, but Kyoko simply gaped at him in astonishment as she gently tugged her shirt back down. He absently rubbed his fingertips together from where his hands had fallen to his sides, still feeling the sensations her soft warmth had inspired. Her gaze slowly traveled downwards, and he stopped what he was doing to stuff his hands into his pockets.

Her eyes flitted back up to his face, and caught his. Sparks of realization flared to life between them, and Ren hurriedly took another step back away from her. All it would take from her was the right question and-

“Clever, very clever Tsuruga-san.”

Ren swallowed hard at the huskiness of her voice as she studied him, her eyes blazing with a fierce determination.

“You apologized earlier, called yourself a jackass even. But you didn't just now,” she said softly, “Are you trying to play this off as us just getting a little worked up over a disagreement?”

Ren stepped back as she stepped forward, feeling abruptly off-balanced at the look in her eye. She knew. She had to know. She'd only gained an inkling of understanding of exactly how much power she could wield over him, but that knowledge gave her a confidence that was evident in just the slightest curl of her lip.

Kyoko stepped closer, then asked, “You were telling the truth, weren’t you?”

Ren froze, the hairs on the back of his neck lifting as cold dread trickled down his spine.

“You...even your behavior earlier makes sense now. You were trying to brush it aside, and bury the truth. You _are_ attracted to me, aren't you? You goading me like this, you just couldn't help yourself, could you? Anytime I tried to dismiss what you were saying, you deliberately tried to bait me into proving you right.”

He swallowed hard, and looked away.

“Mogami-san, really, I was just being an asshole and-”

“Tell me Tsuruga-san, which bothers you more? That you're attracted to me? Or that you don't want to be?”

His mouth went dry as her measured gaze demanded honesty from him. He wanted to speak, to respond, but he knew she'd turn away, dismiss him outright, if he couldn't find the right words. She would weigh him, weigh what he would say, and find him wanting, and damned if he knew if he could withstand that.

“Mogami-san, I,” he wetted his lips nervously, “Mogami-san, I apologize.”

Ren shifted his gaze to the kitchen tile, the heavy silence making it hard to even think straight.

“I asked you a question,” she said, and he flinched as her voice broke the quiet of the room. Ren wondered where she got the confidence that he would answer.

“If you're dishonest now, it will be truly cruel of you.”

Her soft reproach made Ren look her way again, and his heart leapt into his throat at the bitter set to her mouth. He wondered if his silence was as damning as it actually felt. When she stepped forward, and stared him down, he found his words again.

“You're right, about everything.”

He tried to say something else other than that, but it was like his throat closed up after that singular, damning confession, and there was nothing he could do about it. When another heavy, oppressive silence fell, and she said nothing, Ren felt the first stirrings of true panic. He had to say something, he had to.

“Look, attraction just happens sometimes, alright? If it makes you uncomfortable, you've every right to completely disregard what I just said. I’m not going to do anything that you’ll consider inappropriate, or improper. I mean, things got out of hand just now, but that’s totally my fault. I’m so sorry.”

He cleared his throat when she just studied him, her face unreadable.

“I, of course I shouldn't have brought any of this up, and that's my mistake. My… Of course if you're uncomfortable, I don't want my attraction towards you, to be the cause behind that discomfort. It’s not, precisely, that I wish to not be… attracted exactly… “ he fumbled for words as he tried to explain.

“It’s alright.”

Ren looked over at her, surprised by her soft tone of voice. Her face was somewhat down-turned, but he caught a small, pleased smile that turned up the corners of her mouth. He tightened his hands into fists in his pockets so he wouldn’t give in to the urge to hug her.

“It was um, very sweet of you to pay me a sincere compliment, Tsuruga-san. Even if… things got out of hand.”

“I was still a jackass. That doesn't exactly make me sweet,” he muttered, looking away again.

“Well, you apologized for that. And, and you weren’t wrong.”

He couldn’t avoid her when she stepped closer, pulling at his shirt a little. Her head thumped softly onto his chest, and despite himself, he found himself folding her into his arms for a hug. He felt a curious sense of contentment when she just hugged him back.

“Wrong about what?” He asked quietly.

“I did overreact due to a lack of experience. Now having...experienced something like that, I’ll be able to react better in the future,” she mumbled into his shirt.

Embarrassment leaked into her voice when she spoke again, “I’ve always been…um, curious, about uh, how hands on that part of me would feel, and I really need to apologize for being, being so shameless, Tsuruga-san. It felt so nice and, and, I’m sorry for being shameless!”

Her brutal honesty left him as dazed as her bold confidence from earlier. Some other, more coherent part of his brain filed that tidbit of very important information away for later use, while she kept apologizing into his chest. He dared a quick look down, and saw that her poor face was bright red. No wonder she was trying to hide her face. They stood there for a long moment, both attempting to regain their composure.

She stepped away some time later and said, “Thank you for being nice Tsuruga-san. And for...um, well, not making fun of me. If you wanted to know, you've successively made me flustered.”

He certainly hadn't planned to have that happen. She'd surprised even him with her own bold behavior. Ren stared as she blushed again, and tried his best to force words past his uncooperative lips, “Thank you for putting up with me this evening Mogami-san. I admire your fortitude.”

A small, amused snort escaped Kyoko, and Ren swallowed hard.

“Well, shall I get you home?” He did his best not to croak out the words, but he was pretty sure his voice failed him there in the middle.

“Oh, but the dishes-”

“No need to worry!” He hastened to assure her, “They'll be dealt with. We need to get you home. You need to rest well for tomorrow. We’ll be on set again together, right? You wanted to see Katsuki after all.”

She blinked at him, seemingly befuddled by his rushed explanation.

“Yes, you’re right,” she said with another sweet smile, “As usual Tsuruga-san, you think of everything. I’ve got lots more to learn, huh?”

“Whatever you say, Mogami-san,” he replied.

He certainly wasn't going to argue. His nerves were raw beyond imagining, and he could only feel pathetically grateful that she was allowing him to take her home. Kyoko's fierce, demanding expression from just a few moments earlier struck him again just then, and he squeezed his hand into a tight fist to stop himself from reaching out towards her, as she brushed by him to pick up her shoes.

_Dangerous_ , his mind whispered, even as the rest of him only wanted her more, and more, and more. _Dangerous_ , his brain helpfully repeated itself. And Ren, hating himself even as he agreed, ever so carefully, rebuilt all the walls she’d just smashed through.

As Kyoko turned back to look at him, a cheerful smile on her face, Ren smiled back at her. Regardless of the rest of it, Ren wondered if she knew she'd won their curious little game of chicken.

**_fin._**

**Author's Note:**

> If this seems familiar, it's just because I'm making a series out of these little Dark Moon canon divergent pieces I've thought up. We'll see how many parts eventually get included into it. 
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -artsy


End file.
